Peroxy compounds such as hydrogen peroxide, sodium perborate, sodium percarbonate, sodium persulfate, sodium perphosphate, peroxyacetic acid and numerous organic peroxides are well known for their ability to release peroxide in solution, which is useful for bleaching stains in laundry, food handling areas, and other industrial and institutional applications. These compounds can also exhibit antimicrobial properties. While solutions of these compounds exhibit these properties, many stains and microbes resist the effect of peroxide and are therefore ineffective in some situations.
Adding a bleach activator to peroxy compounds will enhance the effectiveness of the peroxy species to improve the bleaching and antimicrobial properties of the peroxy compound.
The standard in the industry for bleach activators is tetraacetylethylenediamine (“TAED”). TAED is commonly used to enhance the cleaning and bleaching effectiveness of peroxy compounds and is a component of many powdered and solid products. It is, however, only used in the form that it is supplied from the manufacturers, that is, the powdered or granular form. In the solid powdered or granular form TAED cannot be pumped by a liquid dispensing system, which is most commonly used in industrial and institutional laundry operations and in destaining items in food handling areas. This limitation greatly limits the usefulness of TAED. If an activator such as TAED could be pumped to its location of use, it would greatly enhance the effectiveness of peroxy bleaches in industrial and institutional use.
Safety, savings and environmental benefits would be therefore achieved if TAED could be added as a liquid through an automatic dispensing system.